B1 ESL Video Lesson Plan: Exercise and Mental Health

🎯 Level: B1–B2

💡 Theme: Exercise and mental Health

Lesson Summary:
This B1–B2 ESL video lesson plan is built around the video How Exercise Saved My Mental Health and explores the importance of exercise for mental well-being through viewing, discussion and creative activities.

Learning Objectives:
• Introduce students to the theme of exercise and healthy lifestyles.
• Introduce students to the importance of exercise for good mental health.
• Expand vocabulary related to exercise, health and well-being.
• Develop viewing, listening and reading comprehension skills.
• Develop writing skills through creative tasks and use of new vocabulary.
• Improve speaking skills through discussion and roleplay activities.
• Practise critical thinking through discussion and reflection.
• Improve visual representing skills through multimodal composition homework tasks.

Lesson Activities:
• Discuss quotations about exercise and health.
• Explore ideas about exercise and mental well-being.
• Predict the content of a short video.
• Watch a video and answer comprehension questions.
• Analyse the message of the video.
• Perform a communicative roleplay about healthy habits.
• Read an article on walking and well-being and answer comprehension questions.
• Reflect on the lesson and complete multimodal homework tasks.

Learner Type:
Intermediate (B1) – Upper Intermediate (B2)
Mature teens and adults

Language Focus:
• Vocabulary related to exercise and physical activity
• Language for discussing health and well-being
• Mental health and lifestyle vocabulary

Benefits for Teachers:

• Save hours of preparation with a fully developed, flexible lesson plan
• Engage students through compelling stories and real-world themes such as emotional intelligence, character, values, empathy, personal development, identity, relationships, global issues and social issues
• Build classroom routines that integrate multimodal literacy naturally and progressively
• Foster more inclusive and differentiated learning by using varied modes of input
• Promote social-emotional learning (SEL)
• Rely on a trusted methodology backed by educational research and grounded in the theories of Vygotsky, Kress, Mayer and Krashen

Benefits for Learners:

• Develop communicative competence and confidence through integrated skill-building
• Expand vocabulary and improve listening and reading comprehension through repeated, meaningful exposure
• Think critically and creatively while exploring powerful social and emotional themes
• Strengthen emotional intelligence and intercultural awareness through affective engagement with multimodal texts

Watch the short video.

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We hope you enjoy this ESL video lesson plan.

Thanks for being part of the Film English community, and happy teaching!
— The Film English Team

Transform Your English Classroom with the Multimodal Approach
This ESL video lesson plan is built around a thought-provoking short video and designed using the innovative Multimodal Approach, integrating listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and representing. Engage learners with real-world themes, develop communicative competence, build vocabulary and foster critical thinking through dynamic, research-informed activities. Find out more about the Multimodal Approach and join thousands of teachers transforming their classrooms with Film English.